This invention relates to bicycle hubs, and more particularly, to a bicycle front wheel hub. In particular, the invention relates to a bicycle front wheel hub with a torque tube.
A typical bicycle frame set has a bicycle fork for mounting a wheel to the bicycle. A typical fork has a pair of spaced apart fork legs (or at least one fork leg), each leg having a dropout at a terminal end. The dropouts have inner sides (facing each other), outer sides opposite the inner sides, and an elongated aperture formed therein to form a slot to receive a hub for a connection of the wheel to the fork. The hub of the bicycle wheel is mounted on the skewer, and thus a wheel may be mounted and fastened on the bicycle frame by inserting and fastening the skewer into the slot and on the dropout.
Significant torsion forces can be applied to the wheel and thus the fork, such as during braking, steering and from forces encountered by rough terrain, for example. One particular example of such force is generated when braking forces are applied to the wheel by a bicycle disc brake. Disc brakes have typically been used in off-road and racing applications, both downhill and cross-country. Disc brakes include a brake disc mounted on the hub adjacent the center of the wheel and a brake pad mounted adjacent the brake disc. The brake pad engages the brake disc to slow down rotation of the bicycle wheel.
Due to the forces that arise when the disc brake is applied to slow rotation of the bicycle wheel, forces generated by disc brakes can induce a twisting torque which can be detrimental to steering precision.
Bicycles with suspension forks, and in particular telescopic upside down (USD) forks (with stanchions at the bottom) are particularly prone to suffering twisting forces due to steering, braking and operation off-road, for example. This is due to the fact that the USD fork stanchions are only connected through the hub. Typical bicycle hubs have internal rotational connections between the left mounting surface and the right mounting surface which can allow both fork legs of a USD fork to flex and rotate independently—a tendency if minimized improves the functioning of the fork.
There is a demand, therefore, to provide a bicycle with a structure or mechanism that prevents or reduces the effects of torsion forces. The invention satisfies the demand.